1988 Seiko Gen.1 British Military RAF Pilot’s Chronograph with First Gulf War Issue Markings

This is a very good example of one of the early RAF issued Seiko chronographs (Generation 1) that were procured from Seiko UK by the RAF and issued initially to Royal Air Force pilots and navigators but later also issued to Royal Navy Helicopter Pilots. According to Konrad Knirims seminal book “British Military Timepieces” (page 624) there were only 11,307 pieces of this Generation 1. military model issued by the RAF from October 1984 until November 1990 and therefore this is one of the last of the earlier ones issued and rare. It is dated 1988 on the case-back and therefore would have seen action in the First Gulf War code-named “Operation Desert Storm” to liberate Kuwait form Saddam Husseins Iraq forces. This watch has a sand-blasted stainless steel case with just two small marks on either side and is otherwise in superb overall condition. Please remember that this watch would have seen action in the First Gulf War and therefore, has inevitably some small historical marks. However, the case is in relatively superb condition and the glass is scratch free. The watch is powered by the highly-regarded, 15-jewel, quartz 7A28 Seiko movement. RAF-issued Seiko military Generation 1 watches have three pushers and has all the usual chronograph functions including split timings and 1/10 sec timing as well as second and minute indicators up to 30 minutes. The sub-dial measures tenths of a second actively until 10 minutes have passed. Once the chronograph is stopped the hand will move to the correct position indicating the tenths of a second that have elapsed. As a result of the application of Promethium 147 (a mildly radioactive emitter), the dial has luminous markers. The case excluding the crown and pushers measures 37mm across and has an inter-lug width of 20mm. As it is required by the MoD, all Seiko military models fit fixed strap bars. The crystal on this watch is mineral glass and is the original and has light trace marks from military use. A new battery has just been fitted. This RAF-issued Seiko military generation 1 watch is considered to be one of the most sought among military watches and this is not surprising as the model is relatively scarcity as well as of a higher grade movement. More high-resolution photos of this watch are available upon request.